Data security or the fast lane, Ankit Singh believes in pushing the limits

Ankit Singh, an Indian entrepreneur in the United States, is doing his bit in this arena with efforts that call for whole-hearted applause.

The past decade has been witness to a slew of data theft incidents, and the unfortunate phenomenon is growing in numbers. Over 300 data breaches, resulting in more than a lakh lost records, have been estimated over the past 10-year period. This situation paints an alarming picture, to say the least. The technology arena across the world has been working overtime to prevent such breaches, but the situation is yet to come under control.  

Though there have been many experiments being undertaken, nothing seems to be enough. Secure, effective means that would halt data thefts have been in the works in technology labs globally. 

An Indian entrepreneur in the United States is doing his bit in this arena with efforts that calls for whole-hearted applause
Ankit Singh, a technology professional an alumnus of the University of Washington and the University of Florida, has been successful in creating a cryptographic algorithm that would arrest unintended data thefts.

Cryptographic Algorithm, Blockchain-based Data Locks 
Talk to him about his efforts in this domain, and he elaborates that there exists so much information about us already on the internet and that itself makes us more vulnerable than ever before. As much as 2.5 million terabytes of data are generated every day. “We want our lives to be secure and as we continue to use smart devices and Internet of Things, we have made ourselves susceptible to ID thefts, fraud, Intellectual Property damage etc.,” he adds.

Ankit Singh has been always fascinated with how just 0s and 1s can enable one to know so much about a person. And later on, he witnessed first-hand on how dangerous that was. That was when he decided to do something about it. He equates data vulnerability to a virus that constantly keeps on mutating, and so it has become imperative to constantly find new ways to stop the damage, akin to using a vaccine. Ankit went on to create encryption algorithms and blockchain-based data locks to prevent such breaches, even as he is aware that “it’s mutating and we can only play cat and mouse”. 

Ankit built his algorithm to this effect with a base on blockchain technology. Adding ample security in terms of encryption, the innovation has proved itself more powerful, when compared with the standard AES encryption. Data reinforcement is ensured in such a way that only the intended user with the key to read it could access it. In comparison, the AES encryption techniques that depend on a centralized key to decrypt the data used to be the norm earlier. Ankit Singh’s blockchain-based cryptographic algorithm makes it made it twice as faster as the 256-bit AES deployed by the National Security Agency, and comes across as 1.7 times more secure.